i just want a few suggestions - I weigh 259 and have about 100 lbs to lose - I am walking every morning but need a starting point for how many calories to eat in the beginning - all advice will be appreciated!!!

best thing imho is to log into sparkpeople.com (there are others but this is my favourite). You put in your start weight, your goal weight and the date you want to lose it by, and it gives you a calorie budget, not only how few you can eat but how many you Must eat. This is important, because if you go too low too soon, it actually slows down weightloss.

You need to enter a date to get the programme to generate your budget, and if you try for more than 2lbs a week average, it refuses to give you anything. Don't get too hung up on the date, that can be counterproductive, but you need to put something in to get the programme up and running.

Good luck!

There are certainly some good resources out there. I have used FitDay and currently use The Daily Plate. I work with a personal trainer who helped me determine my calories. I started at 340 pounds on an 1800 calorie per day diet. I am now about 230 and eat around 1600-1800 calories per day. I do exercise pretty hard - 3 days of weight training and 6-7 days of cardio per week. I'd suggest starting in the 1600-1800 calorie range. You don't want to start too low. Focus on healthy choices w/in those calories. Lean proteins, veggies, fruits, oats, low-fat dairy.... This site is full of fabulous info and people. Just reach out to us.
Barb

I second Barb's suggestion of 1600 - 1800 calories. And most emphatically agree with squeezing every drop of nutrition out of those calories!

My starting weight was almost exactly yours and I picked 1600 calories as a reasonable starting point. Give it a try and see how it works for you!

I do between 1500-1600, and I agree that it's so important to keep those calories as nutritious as possible.

I am 197 pounds( love typing this , 5'2", 38 years old (just sayin' ). Mine range from 1200-1600, depends on what activities I am doing that day. I also try to be sure I am eating healthy, nutritious foods

You're about where I was when I started . I eat anywhere from 1400-1800 calories a day with more days on the 1400 side lately because I'm just not as hungry as I used to be. I've been losing steadily with those numbers. I read somewhere that you should take your ideal weight and multiply by 10 to get your daily calories. I want to weigh 157 so I should aim to eat about 1570 calories to maintain that.

You can do it!

Do you all count your calories BEFORE working out or do you include your caloric expenditure in your total?

Look at food as fuel You want to look at fiber, protein and everything else. For me I eat anywhere from 1200-1800. I think it's good to vary your day. Some days will be easier then others - go with the flow. Be conscious of if you feel full or not. Pay attn to what fills you up. I probably avg at 1500 calories/day. Change this up - your body won't know what hit it! If you are hungry - eat - but eat healthy. It will come off!

I count my calories before any physical activity. Anything I do is just icing on the caloric deficit cake .

www.freedieting.com ~I use there calculators on that site alot of times.

I personally started out at 259 Like you and I have always ate around 1400 daily. and have lost 71.5 lbs in 8 months & 5 days.
But maybe if you can talk to your doctor and see what they think is a good amount for you. That is very helpful also because everyone is so different.

GOODLUCK!!!!

I started out at 377 lbs and eating 1800 calories. Around 310ish the last time I looked I went down to 1700 and I am now (just recently) down to 1600 and losing weight nicely still. I've lost 134 lbs in just under 10 months.

I eat SUPER NUTRITIOUS though and I suggest you do the same.

Since it's impossible to accurately quantify our exercise totals (unless we spend a week in a lab), I've never bothered to estimate calories burned. My daily calorie is what I eat, period.

Me too. I have the daily budget and if I burn any in exercise (can you tell I don't do enough?) that's a bonus.

thanks so much! you are right - you were my size when you started - I just got on the scale this morning and was 257.6 so literally I am at your starting point - you have done so well - I feel really motivated but I can't beleieve how much more I have to lose! thanks for your help!